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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

"It's in her."

My daughter adores music, which includes her "singing" (more like happily humming) and dancing. A dance party breaks out in my kitchen all throughout the day. We might be listening to African Playgroundor a mix of non-annoying kiddie music I burned for her off ITunes. (If you haven't heard Hannah Montana's "Ice Cream Freeze," you are missing out on our favorite!) Sometimes we just put on the radio, or my husband will make up a song.

E has been gravitating toward the oven door to watch her reflection as she dances. And no move is off limits. Her hips shake from side to side, her arms are up over her head or sometimes flinging like a chicken's wings, her head is bobbing, her feet are stomping. She is dancing in pure joy and freedom. No hindrances, no rules, and no censorship.

In church during the praise-and-worship music time, E has her hands in the air, sometimes claps, and often shouts out of pleasure. A friend recently commented on my Facebook account that she enjoyed watching E "praise the Lord" that morning in church.

Lately I've heard a few people say to us that OF COURSE E likes music; it's in her.

Huh?

I grew up in a home full of music----oldies, top 40, soundtracks. My father was a DJ for twenty-years, and every year on my birthday, he would play me a special song (which moved from Michael Jackson to Amy Grant to New Kids On The Block). The radio was on in the car, in the barn, by the swimming pool, in the dining room. We broke into spontaneous dance parties whenever we felt the urge. (In fact, just last week...and we're all grown!)

So I dare to say music is "in me," too. And I'm clearly not black. It's nurture, folks. If you foster a musical home, isn't child going to respond? And may I add, I've never met a little kid who doesn't enjoy music.

The "in her" comment bothers me because it's a slippery slope. What are people going to say next? If she likes watermelon someday (she doesn't yet), will people say, of course she does; it's in her? If she becomes good at playing basketball, is that "in her," too?

I'm not sure what scientific research (ha!) people base their thoughts upon. Seriously, folks.